00:00:00 --> 00:00:06 Let me pray for us before we open that passage.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 Father God, we want to thank you for your word,
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 and we want to ask that right now, as we have heard,
00:00:13 --> 00:00:16 that we would be not mere hearers but doers.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:22 We ask that you may enable us to be people who accurately reflect
00:00:22 --> 00:00:26 the life that you have purchased for us with the blood of Jesus.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:27 Amen.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:33 One of the great struggles for those who call themselves a Christian
00:00:33 --> 00:00:38 is that everyone thinks they know how Christians are supposed to live.
00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 I'm sure that you have heard the phrase,
00:00:42 --> 00:00:43 I thought you were a Christian,
00:00:44 --> 00:00:52 or I thought Christians weren't supposed to smoke, drink, get tattoos, be fun,
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 stay up after 9.30, those sorts of things.
00:00:55 --> 00:01:01 Even here in the car park, when we ask cars who are not here for anything to do with us
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 to park elsewhere during the week,
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 there is often abuse along the lines of,
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 I thought you guys were supposed to be Christian.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 I'm not sure what that has to do with parking,
00:01:11 --> 00:01:12 but they are sure.
00:01:12 --> 00:01:18 And the sad reality is, even though the car park might not be a good example,
00:01:19 --> 00:01:23 more often than not, when you hear a comment like that,
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 the critique is correct.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:33 So many people who wear the badge Christian live lives that look nothing like what the Bible says.
00:01:33 --> 00:01:39 And that's why so many people refuse to even hear the message of the Gospel.
00:01:41 --> 00:01:45 Hypocrisy is one of the biggest barriers when it comes to telling people about Jesus.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:50 I'm yet to meet a non-Christian who doesn't like Jesus.
00:01:51 --> 00:01:57 I mean, he's loving, he's forgiving, he's generous, he's compassionate, he's powerful, he's great.
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 He'd be the perfect person to have in anyone's life.
00:02:01 --> 00:02:02 But it's Christians.
00:02:04 --> 00:02:07 And it's hypocritical lives that turn people off.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:13 And so we need to address the gap between what we say we believe and how we live
00:02:13 --> 00:02:17 if we're going to have any credibility in calling other people to follow Jesus.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:24 But in fact, hypocrisy causes an even bigger issue.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:27 An issue that strikes closer.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 Where there is hypocrisy,
00:02:32 --> 00:02:36 where there's inconsistency between the words that we speak or the faith that we profess
00:02:36 --> 00:02:40 and the life that we live and the actions that we do and the way that we speak,
00:02:41 --> 00:02:46 it's not just the world out there that is questioning the validity of what we believe.
00:02:48 --> 00:02:52 It should make us stop and ask searching questions of ourselves.
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 About just how genuine our faith really is.
00:03:00 --> 00:03:05 But the challenge is that nobody sets out to be a hypocrite.
00:03:07 --> 00:03:11 Nobody's goal is to say their one thing and then do the other thing.
00:03:11 --> 00:03:19 At the heart of hypocrisy is self-deception.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:26 At the heart of that gap of the way that we live and the way that we speak
00:03:26 --> 00:03:29 is a self-deception that's convinced itself
00:03:29 --> 00:03:33 that actually we're living exactly how we claim to.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:39 It's a self-deception that has convinced ourselves that we are hitting the mark,
00:03:40 --> 00:03:41 that we are ticking the box.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 But unfortunately, when there is hypocrisy,
00:03:48 --> 00:03:50 when there's a gap between belief and action,
00:03:50 --> 00:03:51 between faith and life,
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 there is deception.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 Verse 22.
00:03:58 --> 00:04:03 Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:05 Do what it says.
00:04:07 --> 00:04:08 James is writing to early Christians
00:04:08 --> 00:04:12 who have been scattered all throughout the world then in different corners.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:14 They have different trials.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:15 They have different temptations.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 They're struggling as a religious minority.
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 And he wants to put a spotlight on them,
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 particularly those who claim to be Christians,
00:04:26 --> 00:04:29 claim to be followers of Jesus,
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 but look nothing like it.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 And the struggle is that this self-deception is hard to see
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 because we're deceived.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 It's self-deception.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 We're blinded to what we're really like
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 and instead we float along in this sort of false confidence.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 See, verse 22 assumes that there's a level of engagement
00:04:53 --> 00:04:56 because they're listening to the word.
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 The problem isn't that they're not listening.
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 The problem is that they're just listening.
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 This whole letter of James is written to Christian churches,
00:05:06 --> 00:05:09 written to people who would have identified as followers of Jesus,
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 written to people who probably gathered to study the Bible
00:05:13 --> 00:05:14 like we are now.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 Maybe had study groups during the week.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:17 Maybe did their quiet times.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:19 Maybe even memorized verses.
00:05:21 --> 00:05:24 And yet, because the churches then and now
00:05:24 --> 00:05:28 had a reputation and have a reputation for hypocrisy,
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 James feels the need to warn them,
00:05:32 --> 00:05:33 and us,
00:05:33 --> 00:05:36 don't be deceived.
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 And he gives us two measures so that we can check
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 just how genuine we are.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 So that we can check whether or not there is a gap
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 that we've lost sight of or ignored.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 Two safeguards so that we can check
00:05:52 --> 00:05:53 and not waste our energy
00:05:53 --> 00:05:57 in a life of deluded hypocrisy.
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 Verse 22.
00:06:01 --> 00:06:03 Do not merely listen to the word
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 and so deceive yourselves.
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 Do what it says.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 First safeguard,
00:06:11 --> 00:06:12 listen to the word.
00:06:13 --> 00:06:13 Second,
00:06:14 --> 00:06:15 do what it says.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:19 It's tempting to skip over the first one.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 Like that's the easy one of the two.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 But it's still essential.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:27 The verse says,
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 don't merely listen to the word.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:34 Meaning you have to be at least listening to it.
00:06:34 --> 00:06:35 I mean,
00:06:35 --> 00:06:36 I know listening to it's not enough,
00:06:36 --> 00:06:37 but if you're not listening,
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 then you have no hope of doing it.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 Because you would not know
00:06:41 --> 00:06:42 what it is that is required of you.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 And it's not as easy as it sounds.
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 Listening is actually a lost art for many of us.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 Not just when it comes to God and the Bible,
00:06:53 --> 00:06:53 but with anyone.
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 Have you noticed that most of our conversations,
00:06:57 --> 00:06:58 if we're really honest,
00:06:58 --> 00:07:01 are not two people engaging with one another.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 They're two people taking it in turns,
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 saying what they want to say.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 We don't sit and carefully listen to one another.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:09 We wait for our turn.
00:07:09 --> 00:07:10 We're distracted,
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 focusing on what words it is that we will speak next.
00:07:13 --> 00:07:14 Just last week,
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 we had Are You Okay Day.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 It's a day designed to encourage people
00:07:20 --> 00:07:21 to ask one another how we're doing.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 In the hopes that those struggling
00:07:24 --> 00:07:27 with feelings of hopelessness and suicide
00:07:27 --> 00:07:28 might be cared for.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 The very fact that we need a day
00:07:31 --> 00:07:35 to force us to have those conversations
00:07:35 --> 00:07:36 and ask those questions
00:07:36 --> 00:07:39 says that we have lost the art of listening.
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 Says that we're much more interested
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 in what we have to say or what we think
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 rather than those around us.
00:07:48 --> 00:07:49 It's not a new thing.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 James challenges the Christians
00:07:52 --> 00:07:53 in the first century as well.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:54 Verse 19.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 My dear brothers,
00:07:56 --> 00:07:57 take note of this.
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 Every one of you should be quick to listen,
00:07:59 --> 00:08:00 slow to speak,
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 and slow to become angry.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 For man's anger does not bring about
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 the righteous life that God desires.
00:08:07 --> 00:08:10 See, our inability to listen well
00:08:10 --> 00:08:11 inhibits us in our relationships
00:08:11 --> 00:08:12 with one another.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 It reflects pride.
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 It reflects self-absorption
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 that exists in all of us.
00:08:20 --> 00:08:24 And that pride draws us away
00:08:24 --> 00:08:26 from the life that God desires for us.
00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 From the life that God has designed for us.
00:08:30 --> 00:08:33 A life lived self-seeking like that
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 lacks the capacity,
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 lacks the power to produce
00:08:38 --> 00:08:41 the kind of life that God has designed.
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 And so we need another way.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 And in verse 21 we find it.
00:08:47 --> 00:08:48 Therefore,
00:08:50 --> 00:08:51 given that, you know,
00:08:51 --> 00:08:52 looking after ourselves,
00:08:53 --> 00:08:54 worrying about ourselves,
00:08:54 --> 00:08:55 speaking first,
00:08:55 --> 00:08:56 listening second,
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 being quick to react,
00:08:58 --> 00:08:59 given that that doesn't work,
00:09:00 --> 00:09:00 therefore,
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 get rid of all moral filth
00:09:03 --> 00:09:05 and the evil that is so prevalent
00:09:05 --> 00:09:09 and humbly accept the word planted in you
00:09:09 --> 00:09:10 which can save you.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 That pride that shapes so much
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 of how we relate to one another
00:09:16 --> 00:09:19 is not just a slight deviation
00:09:19 --> 00:09:20 from God's design.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 It's not just a sort of slight challenge
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 to what God has for us.
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 It's opposition to it.
00:09:29 --> 00:09:30 It's moral filth.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 Just like you can't have a relationship
00:09:37 --> 00:09:38 with a friend or spouse
00:09:38 --> 00:09:39 if you don't listen,
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 you can't expect to have one with God
00:09:42 --> 00:09:43 if you don't listen either.
00:09:43 --> 00:09:47 This passage has really strong echoes
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 of Jesus' teaching in Matthew chapter 7
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 where Jesus speaks about the wise
00:09:51 --> 00:09:52 and the foolish builder
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 and people come to him
00:09:54 --> 00:09:55 who have done miracles,
00:09:56 --> 00:09:57 who have preached sermons,
00:09:57 --> 00:09:58 who have driven out demons
00:09:58 --> 00:09:59 and they are sent away
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 because God says,
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 I never knew you.
00:10:07 --> 00:10:10 The Bible and the story of Jesus
00:10:10 --> 00:10:13 is a relational word.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:16 It's designed to help us get to know God.
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 And so if we come to it with a pride
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 where our first response is to speak
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 instead of listen,
00:10:23 --> 00:10:29 we will be incapable
00:10:29 --> 00:10:32 of having the relationship
00:10:32 --> 00:10:33 that God wants.
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 The Bible is not some opinion column
00:10:36 --> 00:10:36 in the paper.
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 It's not the wise musings
00:10:39 --> 00:10:40 of some gurus.
00:10:41 --> 00:10:42 It's God's word.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:44 It's the creator
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 speaking to creatures.
00:10:46 --> 00:10:50 And so we must listen
00:10:50 --> 00:10:52 with humility.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 This word has power.
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 Did you notice it gets a few different names
00:10:59 --> 00:11:00 in these verses?
00:11:01 --> 00:11:02 Listen to how it's described.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 Go back one verse to verse 18.
00:11:05 --> 00:11:05 It says,
00:11:05 --> 00:11:07 He chose to give us birth
00:11:07 --> 00:11:09 through the word of truth.
00:11:09 --> 00:11:11 God's word has the power
00:11:11 --> 00:11:11 to give life.
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 Or verse 21 again,
00:11:14 --> 00:11:15 Get rid of all moral filth
00:11:15 --> 00:11:17 and the evil that is so prevalent
00:11:17 --> 00:11:18 and humbly accept
00:11:18 --> 00:11:19 the word planted in you
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 which can save you.
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 God's word can save.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:24 Verse 25,
00:11:25 --> 00:11:26 The man who looks intently
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 into the perfect law
00:11:28 --> 00:11:29 that gives freedom.
00:11:31 --> 00:11:32 God's word gives life,
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 can save and gives freedom.
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 It is the word of truth.
00:11:37 --> 00:11:38 It is unchanging.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 It is reality defining.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:41 By it,
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 we understand everything else
00:11:43 --> 00:11:44 in existence.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:47 We must listen to it.
00:11:48 --> 00:11:50 And not just waiting to respond
00:11:50 --> 00:11:52 and say what we think
00:11:52 --> 00:11:52 or speak,
00:11:53 --> 00:11:56 but hanging on
00:11:56 --> 00:11:57 every life-giving word,
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 eager for this to be the thing
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 that defines who we are,
00:12:02 --> 00:12:03 what we care about.
00:12:08 --> 00:12:09 And so you need to ask yourself
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 the question,
00:12:11 --> 00:12:13 are you putting yourself
00:12:13 --> 00:12:13 in situations
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 where you can listen
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 to the word of God?
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 Are you making the most
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 of the opportunities
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 that God is placing
00:12:22 --> 00:12:23 in front of you now?
00:12:25 --> 00:12:27 Are you preparing well
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 for church when we gather?
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 Are you making sure
00:12:32 --> 00:12:33 you get a good night's sleep?
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 Are you asking God
00:12:35 --> 00:12:37 to take away the things
00:12:37 --> 00:12:37 in your mind
00:12:37 --> 00:12:38 that you know
00:12:38 --> 00:12:39 will distract you
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 or make you anxious?
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 Are you sitting
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 in a good spot here
00:12:43 --> 00:12:43 where you know
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 you can concentrate best?
00:12:46 --> 00:12:46 Are you eager
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 to take notes?
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 Are you blocking out
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 time to read the Bible
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 for yourself?
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 Or is it just
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 one of many voices
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 that you're just
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 looking for a gap in
00:12:59 --> 00:13:00 so that you can let us
00:13:00 --> 00:13:01 know what you think
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 or how you see things?
00:13:03 --> 00:13:06 verse 22
00:13:06 --> 00:13:10 Do not merely listen
00:13:10 --> 00:13:10 to the word
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 and so deceive yourselves.
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 Do what it says.
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 Don't be deceived.
00:13:18 --> 00:13:18 Listen
00:13:18 --> 00:13:20 to the word.
00:13:22 --> 00:13:23 Don't merely listen
00:13:23 --> 00:13:26 but listen
00:13:26 --> 00:13:28 so that you can do
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 what it says.
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 One of the great
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 strengths for our church
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 is that we are
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 Bible people.
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 We love the Bible.
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 Darren's already
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 alluded to the fact
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 that here in Australia
00:13:41 --> 00:13:41 and here in Sydney
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 especially
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 there is a saturation
00:13:43 --> 00:13:45 of good Bible teachers
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 and good Bible teaching.
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 People who love
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 God's word
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 and seek to proclaim
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 it faithfully.
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 We love to read
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 the Bible.
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 We love to sing
00:13:56 --> 00:13:56 bits of scripture
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57 in our songs.
00:13:57 --> 00:13:58 We love to declare
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 it in our creeds.
00:14:00 --> 00:14:00 We love to preach
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 from it.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 We do Bible studies
00:14:02 --> 00:14:02 around it.
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 We learn memory verses.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 But does all of that
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 make any difference
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 to the way that you
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 speak
00:14:10 --> 00:14:13 or think
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 or act
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16 or feel?
00:14:16 --> 00:14:20 Imagine a scenario
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 in my house
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 with me
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 and my son Bailey.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:24 I've just
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 put him to bed
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 and I've explained
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 that he has to
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 stay in his room
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 and go to sleep.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:33 I've wandered out
00:14:33 --> 00:14:33 to watch TV
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 for my moment
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 of solitude
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35 in the day
00:14:35 --> 00:14:37 and a few minutes
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 later he reappears
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 working his cheeky grin.
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 He always comes out
00:14:42 --> 00:14:42 and asks a question
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 like he doesn't know.
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 Oh, what are you doing?
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 And leans around
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 and starts watching TV.
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 Oh, it's the TV.
00:14:48 --> 00:14:48 What's on TV?
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 And then sort of
00:14:49 --> 00:14:49 works his way
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 to sit on the lounge.
00:14:52 --> 00:14:52 So I say,
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 Bailey,
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 go back to your room,
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 get into bed
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 and stay there.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 He continues
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 to watch TV
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 so thinking
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 that he wasn't listening
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 I say,
00:15:04 --> 00:15:04 Bailey,
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 go back to your room,
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 get in bed
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 and stay there.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 He looks at me.
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 Here's the seriousness
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 of my tone.
00:15:16 --> 00:15:16 He says,
00:15:16 --> 00:15:16 okay,
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 and wanders off,
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 stamping as loud
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 as he can
00:15:20 --> 00:15:20 to wake Hudson up.
00:15:22 --> 00:15:22 Now,
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 a little while later,
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 imagine I wander
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 down the hallway
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 to get something
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 out of my room
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 and I find Bailey
00:15:28 --> 00:15:28 sitting in the hallway
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 reading books.
00:15:32 --> 00:15:32 I'd be like,
00:15:34 --> 00:15:34 Bailey,
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 didn't you listen to me?
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 Imagine if he was
00:15:39 --> 00:15:39 to look up to me
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 and say,
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 yeah, dad,
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 I listened
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 and I've been
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 thinking about
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 what you said,
00:15:47 --> 00:15:49 really studying it
00:15:49 --> 00:15:52 and I think
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 that you were
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 talking about
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 me staying in my bed
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 and going to sleep.
00:15:59 --> 00:15:59 In fact,
00:15:59 --> 00:16:00 I think I've
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 memorised what you said.
00:16:02 --> 00:16:04 I think you said,
00:16:04 --> 00:16:04 Bailey,
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 go back to your room,
00:16:07 --> 00:16:07 get in bed
00:16:07 --> 00:16:09 and stay there.
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 You can imagine
00:16:11 --> 00:16:11 how the rest
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 of the conversation
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 might go from my side.
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 That kind of listening
00:16:17 --> 00:16:19 isn't okay
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 in any sphere
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 of our life.
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 That kind of listening
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 won't cut it
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 with your boss
00:16:25 --> 00:16:25 when they give you
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 instructions.
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 In fact,
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 it completely defeats
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 the purpose
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 for me speaking
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 those words.
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 My goal wasn't
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 that Bailey knew
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 what I said.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 my goal was
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 that Bailey did
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 what I said.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 And yet,
00:16:44 --> 00:16:47 often that's the way
00:16:47 --> 00:16:47 we listen
00:16:47 --> 00:16:49 to God's word.
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 We think about it,
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 we study it,
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 we have study groups
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 for it.
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 We write in our journals,
00:17:02 --> 00:17:02 maybe we even
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 memorise it.
00:17:03 --> 00:17:06 But does it
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 make any difference?
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 I've sat
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 in Bible studies
00:17:10 --> 00:17:10 with people
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 who when confronted
00:17:11 --> 00:17:13 with parts of the Bible
00:17:13 --> 00:17:13 that were uncomfortable
00:17:13 --> 00:17:15 or challenging,
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 maybe bits that
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 demanded some change
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 or some sacrifice,
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 and so those bits
00:17:21 --> 00:17:21 were completely
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 pushed aside
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 and rejected.
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 And the issue
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 wasn't that they
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 thought the Bible
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 was saying something else,
00:17:29 --> 00:17:31 it's that they
00:17:31 --> 00:17:31 just didn't care.
00:17:31 --> 00:17:34 we're happy
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 to read it
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37 and understand it,
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39 but the gap
00:17:39 --> 00:17:41 is in our obedience.
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 In effect,
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 they were saying,
00:17:44 --> 00:17:47 I've listened,
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 I know what you said,
00:17:50 --> 00:17:52 but I disagree.
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 Maybe it's more subtle
00:17:55 --> 00:17:57 than that for some of us.
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 We read what the Bible
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 says,
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 we agree with what it says,
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 but we either wrongly
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 think it doesn't
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 apply to us,
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 you know the classic,
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 I really hope that person's
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 listening today
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 because this is a message
00:18:07 --> 00:18:07 for them.
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 If they want to be
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 as godly and humble
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 as me,
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 they've got some things
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 they need to adjust.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 Or,
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 maybe we feel
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 that little twinge
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 of guilt,
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 we hear that little
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 challenge or rebuke,
00:18:21 --> 00:18:21 but then we walk away
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 and do nothing.
00:18:22 --> 00:18:29 verse 23 says,
00:18:29 --> 00:18:29 anyone who listens
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 to the word
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 but does not do
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 what it says
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 is like a man
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 who looks at his face
00:18:34 --> 00:18:34 in a mirror
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36 and after looking
00:18:36 --> 00:18:36 at himself
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 goes away
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 and immediately
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 forgets what he
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 looks like.
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 Now,
00:18:42 --> 00:18:42 I don't know many
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 people who enjoy
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 looking at themselves
00:18:44 --> 00:18:44 in the mirror.
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 Actually,
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 that's not entirely true.
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 Just about everyone
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 at the gym I go to
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 enjoys checking
00:18:50 --> 00:18:50 themselves at the mirror.
00:18:50 --> 00:18:53 But there are
00:18:53 --> 00:18:53 a lot of people
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 for whom
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 a mirror
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 can be very
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 uncomfortable.
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 Because a mirror
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 shows all the bits
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 that you probably
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 spend time
00:19:01 --> 00:19:01 trying to hide
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 or disguise
00:19:02 --> 00:19:04 or trick yourself
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 into thinking
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 aren't there.
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 And so,
00:19:07 --> 00:19:07 if you don't like
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 what you see
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 when you look
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 in the mirror,
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 it makes sense
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 that you probably
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 won't look that often
00:19:12 --> 00:19:14 and even if you do,
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 you probably won't
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 work too hard
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 to remember
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 what you saw.
00:19:18 --> 00:19:20 It's much
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 more pleasant
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 to delude
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 yourself into
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 thinking you
00:19:23 --> 00:19:23 look how you
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 want to look.
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 So forget
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 about the rough
00:19:27 --> 00:19:27 edges.
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 But pleasant
00:19:29 --> 00:19:29 or not,
00:19:30 --> 00:19:30 it's not
00:19:30 --> 00:19:30 reality.
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 Looking in
00:19:34 --> 00:19:34 the mirror
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 of God's
00:19:35 --> 00:19:35 word will
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 at times
00:19:36 --> 00:19:36 make you
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 uncomfortable.
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 It will
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 challenge you.
00:19:42 --> 00:19:42 It will
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 demand things
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 from you.
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 It will
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 show you
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 parts of your
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 life and
00:19:46 --> 00:19:46 parts of your
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 character that
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 are deeply
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 offensive to
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 God.
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 But pretending
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 that's not how
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 it is,
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 isn't going to
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 help you.
00:19:58 --> 00:19:58 The point
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 of a mirror
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 is to see
00:20:00 --> 00:20:00 what's there
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 so that you
00:20:01 --> 00:20:01 can make
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 adjustments.
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 If I get up
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 in the morning
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 and I'm
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 looking in the
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 mirror and I'm
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 styling my
00:20:07 --> 00:20:07 hair,
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 bit of product
00:20:08 --> 00:20:08 in it,
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 little twist
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 here,
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 little pat
00:20:10 --> 00:20:10 there,
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 if when I
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 look in the
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 mirror I'm
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 not happy
00:20:14 --> 00:20:14 with what I
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 see,
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 I make
00:20:17 --> 00:20:17 adjustments.
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 I deal
00:20:19 --> 00:20:19 with the
00:20:19 --> 00:20:19 little
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 alfalfa
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 that's
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 going on
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 at the
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 back.
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 I put it
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 where I was
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 trying to
00:20:24 --> 00:20:24 put it so
00:20:24 --> 00:20:24 it looks
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 how I
00:20:25 --> 00:20:25 want it
00:20:25 --> 00:20:25 to look.
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 I'm not
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 walking out
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 the door
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 looking
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 ridiculous.
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 The solution
00:20:33 --> 00:20:33 isn't to
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 avoid the
00:20:34 --> 00:20:34 mirror because
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 it makes me
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 uncomfortable,
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 it's to
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 deal with
00:20:38 --> 00:20:38 what the
00:20:38 --> 00:20:38 mirror shows
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 me.
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 And yet
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 again,
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 when it
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 comes to
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 our character,
00:20:42 --> 00:20:42 when the
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 Bible shows
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 us the gap
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44 between how
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 we're living
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 and what
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 we claim
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 to believe,
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 often our
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 first reaction
00:20:50 --> 00:20:50 is to
00:20:50 --> 00:20:50 pretend we
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 didn't see
00:20:51 --> 00:20:51 it.
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 To trick
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 ourselves into
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 thinking that
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 we're actually
00:20:56 --> 00:20:56 better than
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 we are.
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 We shrug
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 our shoulders
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 and we
00:21:00 --> 00:21:00 live in
00:21:00 --> 00:21:02 self-delusion
00:21:02 --> 00:21:04 rather than
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 fixing the
00:21:05 --> 00:21:05 issue.
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 To not do
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 what Scripture
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 calls you to
00:21:08 --> 00:21:08 do, to not
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 obey what
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 you hear,
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 is to waste
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 the opportunity
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 given to you
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 by God.
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 The opportunity
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 to be changed,
00:21:16 --> 00:21:16 to grow,
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 to be better
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 and even
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 to be blessed.
00:21:21 --> 00:21:21 Did you
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 catch that
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 in verse 25?
00:21:23 --> 00:21:23 Look there
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 with me now.
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 In contrast
00:21:27 --> 00:21:29 to the
00:21:29 --> 00:21:29 deluded,
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 forgetful
00:21:30 --> 00:21:30 man,
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 religion that,
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 sorry,
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 verse 25,
00:21:35 --> 00:21:35 the man who
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 looks intently
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 into the
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 perfect law
00:21:38 --> 00:21:38 that gives
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 freedom and
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 continues to
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 do this,
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 not forgetting
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 what he has
00:21:42 --> 00:21:42 heard but
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 doing it,
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 he will be
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 blessed in
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 what he
00:21:47 --> 00:21:47 does.
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 The opposite
00:21:50 --> 00:21:50 of looking
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 and forgetting
00:21:51 --> 00:21:53 is continuing,
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 not forgetting,
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 doing,
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 grabbing hold
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 of the opportunity
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 presented by
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 the chance to
00:22:00 --> 00:22:00 see the bits
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 that need
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 work.
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 I mean,
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 did you notice
00:22:04 --> 00:22:04 what the mirror
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 became there?
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 This is an
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 opposing analogy.
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 These verses
00:22:09 --> 00:22:09 are connected
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 but in one
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 half,
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 a man looks
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 into a mirror.
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 But in
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 verse 25,
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 a man looks
00:22:16 --> 00:22:16 into the
00:22:16 --> 00:22:18 perfect law
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 that gives
00:22:19 --> 00:22:19 freedom.
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 The word of
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 God is so
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 much more
00:22:23 --> 00:22:23 than rules.
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 It does so
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 much more
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 than show us
00:22:26 --> 00:22:26 the standard
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 that God
00:22:27 --> 00:22:27 has set
00:22:27 --> 00:22:27 that we
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 are not
00:22:28 --> 00:22:28 making.
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 It shows
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 us Jesus.
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 It shows
00:22:32 --> 00:22:32 us a
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 saviour.
00:22:34 --> 00:22:34 It is only
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 perfect and
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 it only brings
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 freedom because
00:22:37 --> 00:22:37 of Jesus.
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 Jesus.
00:22:39 --> 00:22:39 Jesus
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 himself says,
00:22:41 --> 00:22:41 I came
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 to fulfil
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 the law.
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 When Jesus
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 comes to
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 earth,
00:22:48 --> 00:22:48 he's
00:22:48 --> 00:22:48 perfect,
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 perfectly
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 obedient in
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51 every way,
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 in every
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 opportunity.
00:22:53 --> 00:22:53 He obeys his
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 heavenly father,
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 even to the
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 point of
00:22:55 --> 00:22:55 dying.
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 And then
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 when he
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 dies,
00:22:58 --> 00:22:58 he dies as
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 a substitute
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 for every
00:23:00 --> 00:23:00 person who's
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 failed to do
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 that in their
00:23:02 --> 00:23:02 lives.
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 He dies to
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 offer forgiveness.
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 He dies to
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 pay debt.
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 He offers to
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 take shame
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 and guilt.
00:23:10 --> 00:23:12 He offers to
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 take away that
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 moral filth and
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 that evil that
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 we need to
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 get rid of.
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 This is why
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 it's the
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 word that
00:23:22 --> 00:23:22 saves.
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 Because it's
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 the word about
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 Jesus.
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 It's the word
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 about the one
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 who forgives
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 sinful people,
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 who loves
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 those who
00:23:35 --> 00:23:35 don't deserve
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 it, who
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 exchanges his
00:23:37 --> 00:23:39 life for our
00:23:39 --> 00:23:39 life so that
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 we can be
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 acceptable to
00:23:41 --> 00:23:41 God.
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 Jesus
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 satisfies the
00:23:45 --> 00:23:45 law.
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 He perfects
00:23:47 --> 00:23:47 it.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 He transforms
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 it.
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 And then
00:23:51 --> 00:23:53 he redeploys
00:23:53 --> 00:23:55 it in our
00:23:55 --> 00:23:55 lives.
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 Now the
00:23:57 --> 00:23:57 mirror has
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 become a
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 map.
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 Before it
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 was uncomfortable,
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 but now it
00:24:02 --> 00:24:02 shows us where
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 we are.
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 It shows us the
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 destination that
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 God has
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 prepared for
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 his people.
00:24:07 --> 00:24:07 Last week
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 James showed
00:24:08 --> 00:24:08 us in
00:24:08 --> 00:24:10 James 1
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 and verse
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 4 about
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 the goal of
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 being mature
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 and complete
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 and not
00:24:16 --> 00:24:16 lacking
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 anything.
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 The mirror
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 is now a
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 map that
00:24:20 --> 00:24:20 shows us our
00:24:20 --> 00:24:22 inadequacies and
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 failures,
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 shows us the
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 finish line,
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 but also
00:24:25 --> 00:24:27 shows us in
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 Jesus how we
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 might get to
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 that finish
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 line.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 And shows us
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 how we might
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 have as much
00:24:32 --> 00:24:32 blessing as
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 possible every
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 step of the
00:24:34 --> 00:24:34 way and
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 every day
00:24:35 --> 00:24:35 between now
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 and then.
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 It's not
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 something to be
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 scared of or
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 intimidated by.
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 It's God's
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 guide on how
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 you might be
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 most blessed
00:24:46 --> 00:24:48 in the life
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 that he's
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 given you.
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 It's not about
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 guilt anymore
00:24:52 --> 00:24:54 because Jesus
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 has dealt with
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 that by dying
00:24:56 --> 00:24:56 for guilty
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 people.
00:24:57 --> 00:25:00 God's word
00:25:00 --> 00:25:00 is about
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 pouring as
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 much blessing
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 as can
00:25:03 --> 00:25:03 possibly be
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 squashed into
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 your life.
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 Will we still
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 get corrected
00:25:10 --> 00:25:12 and rebuked
00:25:12 --> 00:25:12 and challenged?
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 Will there
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 still be huge
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 sacrifices and
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 changes that are
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 demanded of us?
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 Will we still
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 feel guilty
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 sometimes when
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 we read it or
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 listen to sermons?
00:25:24 --> 00:25:24 Yes.
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 But what's
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 different now
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 because of
00:25:30 --> 00:25:32 Jesus is
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 what we do
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 with that
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 guilt.
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 I remember
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 my first job
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 quite distinctly.
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 I worked at
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 Kentucky Fried
00:25:41 --> 00:25:41 Chicken.
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 It was my
00:25:44 --> 00:25:44 dream job
00:25:44 --> 00:25:46 after working
00:25:46 --> 00:25:46 in a video
00:25:46 --> 00:25:46 store because I
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 didn't think you
00:25:47 --> 00:25:47 had to do
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 anything in a
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 video store.
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 But working
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 at KFC was
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 also a dream
00:25:51 --> 00:25:51 job because I
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 figured you
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 could eat as
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 much chicken
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 as you wanted.
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 That was a
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 half-truth.
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 But it was
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 still a fun
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 job.
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 But I remember
00:25:59 --> 00:25:59 working in there
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 I actually had a
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 lot to learn.
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 I was 15 and
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 so I'd never had
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 any other job
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 before trying to
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 figure out that I
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 had to wear my
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 uniform correctly
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 because I hadn't
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 learnt that in the
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 first however many
00:26:10 --> 00:26:10 years of school.
00:26:11 --> 00:26:11 So I had to wear
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 my uniform correctly.
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 I had to be there
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 on time.
00:26:14 --> 00:26:14 I had to stay
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 until the right
00:26:15 --> 00:26:15 time.
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 I had to keep
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 myself busy.
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 I had to always
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 be doing whatever
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 they asked me.
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 And so there was
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 kind of this fear
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 that drives you in
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 your job.
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 I need to tick the
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 boxes required of me
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 otherwise my boss
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 is going to turn
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 around and say
00:26:27 --> 00:26:27 you're cut.
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 You're fired.
00:26:29 --> 00:26:29 You're sacked.
00:26:29 --> 00:26:29 I can get a
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 different 15 year
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 old who can do
00:26:31 --> 00:26:31 your job.
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 And so when you're
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 at work there is
00:26:33 --> 00:26:35 this motivation for
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 you to do what is
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 required of you.
00:26:37 --> 00:26:39 And that is if you
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 don't do it you're
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 gone.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 You're fired.
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 That's it.
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 Game over.
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 However growing up
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 living in my family
00:26:47 --> 00:26:49 there was a different
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 motivation to do what
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 was required of me.
00:26:51 --> 00:26:53 It wasn't that if I
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 didn't do it I was
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 cut.
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 That's not how
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 families work.
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 What do they say?
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 You can choose your
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 friends but you can't
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 choose your family.
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 You're stuck together.
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 And so I obeyed
00:27:05 --> 00:27:08 secure that obey or
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 not obey I'm still
00:27:09 --> 00:27:09 going to be my
00:27:09 --> 00:27:12 parents' son but also
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 confident that
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 ultimately they loved
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 me even if I
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 disagreed with what
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 they thought was best
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 for me.
00:27:16 --> 00:27:20 I obeyed from a
00:27:20 --> 00:27:22 place of security
00:27:22 --> 00:27:24 not hoping to meet a
00:27:24 --> 00:27:26 standard not hoping to
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 get something back from
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 them as a result.
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 Doing the word
00:27:31 --> 00:27:33 obeying God's word
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 isn't about being
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 perfect.
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 It's not about
00:27:37 --> 00:27:39 achieving a level so
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 that God might think
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 you're great or might
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 love you more.
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 It's about being
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 honest.
00:27:46 --> 00:27:48 Obeying the word
00:27:48 --> 00:27:50 about Jesus means
00:27:50 --> 00:27:52 seeing in the map and
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 recognizing that you're
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 not good enough.
00:27:55 --> 00:27:58 It means trusting him
00:27:58 --> 00:28:00 to fix the issue.
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 Trusting that his
00:28:02 --> 00:28:04 forgiveness is
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 sufficient.
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 Trusting that no
00:28:07 --> 00:28:09 failure is too big for
00:28:09 --> 00:28:11 his love to cover it.
00:28:12 --> 00:28:14 And then secure in his
00:28:14 --> 00:28:16 love chasing with every
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 bit of energy the
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 blessing that he has
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 designed in obeying
00:28:19 --> 00:28:19 him.
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 In making the hard
00:28:22 --> 00:28:22 choices.
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 In sacrificing.
00:28:25 --> 00:28:25 In changing.
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 True hypocrisy
00:28:29 --> 00:28:32 comes when we delude
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 ourselves into thinking
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 that we've made it.
00:28:36 --> 00:28:38 When we start convincing
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 ourselves that there are
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 no faults or adjustments
00:28:40 --> 00:28:43 required and instead are
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 very quick to point out the
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 adjustments required in
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 others.
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 It's a delusion that we
00:28:48 --> 00:28:51 have invented because we
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 want to be secure.
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 But the security that God's
00:28:57 --> 00:28:59 word offers is far better.
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 At the beginning we talked
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 briefly about how the world
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 around us is quick to let us
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 know when there's a gap
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 between what we claim to
00:29:06 --> 00:29:08 believe and the way that we
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 live.
00:29:08 --> 00:29:12 The issue isn't that we're
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 not perfect.
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 That's not the expectation in
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 God's word.
00:29:18 --> 00:29:20 It's not even the expectation
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 in the world.
00:29:24 --> 00:29:26 The issue is that we claim to
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 be perfect.
00:29:30 --> 00:29:32 Whereas God's word tells us
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 over and over we are far from
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 it.
00:29:34 --> 00:29:37 The issue is that we put a
00:29:37 --> 00:29:39 standard here and then live
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 here.
00:29:40 --> 00:29:42 When in actual fact this is all
00:29:42 --> 00:29:44 God's word requires from us.
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 That we would be distinct.
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 That we would be different.
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 That we would stand out.
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 But not that we would be
00:29:51 --> 00:29:51 perfect.
00:29:52 --> 00:29:54 That's a work that God is
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 doing in us.
00:29:55 --> 00:29:57 That's a job that won't be
00:29:57 --> 00:29:59 finished until Jesus comes
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 back or we get called home.
00:30:00 --> 00:30:05 And so what it means to have
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 integrity.
00:30:06 --> 00:30:06 To be genuine.
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 To be authentic.
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 Is to actually say what the
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 Bible says.
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 I'm not there yet.
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 I'm still sinful.
00:30:19 --> 00:30:22 What it means is to have the
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 humility talked about in verse
00:30:23 --> 00:30:25 21 where our starting point
00:30:25 --> 00:30:27 when we open the Bible is I
00:30:27 --> 00:30:29 know there's something that
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 needs to change even if I'm not
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 sure what it is yet.
00:30:35 --> 00:30:37 To be so secure in God's
00:30:37 --> 00:30:39 love that it's okay.
00:30:39 --> 00:30:42 In fact it's even exciting to
00:30:42 --> 00:30:42 admit mistake.
00:30:44 --> 00:30:46 Because that's the step towards
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 the growth that God wants to
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 bring.
00:30:48 --> 00:30:50 That's the step towards the
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 blessing that God has designed
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 for us.
00:30:53 --> 00:30:55 Authentic faith is so secure in
00:30:55 --> 00:30:57 what Jesus has done and in the
00:30:57 --> 00:30:59 unconditional love of God that
00:30:59 --> 00:31:01 it is honest and real about
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 failure.
00:31:02 --> 00:31:05 And it delights to confess sin.
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 Even publicly.
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 Because that just shows how
00:31:08 --> 00:31:10 amazing Jesus is.
00:31:12 --> 00:31:14 But none of this lets us off
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 the hook.
00:31:17 --> 00:31:19 The end point is not sweet.
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 All I've got to do is admit that
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 I'm not good enough and I can
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 relax a bit.
00:31:22 --> 00:31:25 The word still does demand
00:31:25 --> 00:31:25 change.
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 It does demand that we are
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 distinct from the world.
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 It does show us what God wants.
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 It does expect us to be on a
00:31:31 --> 00:31:33 journey towards that perfection
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 that God is working in us.
00:31:35 --> 00:31:38 And if anything the freedom that
00:31:38 --> 00:31:40 we have because of Jesus, the
00:31:40 --> 00:31:42 security we have in his love
00:31:42 --> 00:31:44 should increase our urgency.
00:31:45 --> 00:31:48 Should grow our desire to obey
00:31:48 --> 00:31:50 because it's not something we're not
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 being chased with a naughty stick
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 anymore.
00:31:53 --> 00:31:55 God has laid out in front of us the
00:31:55 --> 00:31:58 promise of blessing and motivated
00:31:58 --> 00:32:00 us to pursue obedience because of
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 his goodness.
00:32:03 --> 00:32:05 Verse 26 gives us a scary warning.
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 If anyone considers himself
00:32:06 --> 00:32:08 religious and yet does not keep a
00:32:08 --> 00:32:10 tight rein on his tongue, he
00:32:10 --> 00:32:12 deceives himself and his religion is
00:32:12 --> 00:32:12 worthless.
00:32:13 --> 00:32:15 There is still the warning here from
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 James having pointed us to Jesus
00:32:16 --> 00:32:18 that if we claim one thing and live
00:32:18 --> 00:32:20 differently, we run the risk of having
00:32:20 --> 00:32:22 a worthless religion.
00:32:24 --> 00:32:27 But 27, religion that God our
00:32:27 --> 00:32:29 Father accepts as pure and faultless
00:32:29 --> 00:32:31 is this, to look after orphans and
00:32:31 --> 00:32:33 widows in their distress and to keep
00:32:33 --> 00:32:35 oneself from being polluted by the
00:32:35 --> 00:32:36 world.
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 Three quick opportunities to put into
00:32:38 --> 00:32:40 practice what James has challenged us
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 on.
00:32:41 --> 00:32:45 Our conversations, our compassion and
00:32:45 --> 00:32:45 our character.
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 It's not an exhaustive list.
00:32:47 --> 00:32:50 This is not everything that it is to be
00:32:50 --> 00:32:51 a Christian but I'm sure it's a
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 sufficient amount to make us feel
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 uncomfortable.
00:32:56 --> 00:32:59 Do your words reflect God's design for
00:32:59 --> 00:32:59 them?
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 Are you encouraging?
00:33:07 --> 00:33:08 Are your words life-giving?
00:33:08 --> 00:33:13 Or is your mouth full of gossip and
00:33:13 --> 00:33:16 slander and coarseness?
00:33:18 --> 00:33:22 Second one, are you actively engaged in
00:33:22 --> 00:33:24 caring for those who are less fortunate,
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 those in need?
00:33:28 --> 00:33:30 How do you respond to pictures of a
00:33:30 --> 00:33:32 three-year-old Syrian boy washed up on a
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 beach?
00:33:38 --> 00:33:42 And third, can your friends and family and
00:33:42 --> 00:33:44 colleagues and neighbours see something
00:33:44 --> 00:33:48 different in you compared to those
00:33:48 --> 00:33:48 around you?
00:33:51 --> 00:33:55 Or have you been diluted with the world
00:33:55 --> 00:33:55 that you live in?
00:33:56 --> 00:33:58 Are you just like everyone else?
00:33:58 --> 00:34:02 Now we're going to unpack those three
00:34:02 --> 00:34:04 things more as we go through this
00:34:04 --> 00:34:04 series.
00:34:06 --> 00:34:08 But if just those couple of verses, just
00:34:08 --> 00:34:10 those three examples have made you
00:34:10 --> 00:34:13 uncomfortable or made you see something
00:34:13 --> 00:34:17 that you know needs to change, don't
00:34:17 --> 00:34:19 just listen.
00:34:19 --> 00:34:24 Do what it says.
00:34:27 --> 00:34:29 Confess your failure.
00:34:31 --> 00:34:33 Admit your inadequacy.
00:34:35 --> 00:34:37 And trust Jesus to forgive you.
00:34:39 --> 00:34:41 Trust him to be the one who will work in
00:34:41 --> 00:34:42 you to change you.
00:34:44 --> 00:34:48 And secure in his perfect love, work with
00:34:48 --> 00:34:51 everything you've got to try and live in
00:34:51 --> 00:34:54 the blessing of obedience to his word.
00:34:56 --> 00:34:58 Hear this, verse 22 again.
00:34:59 --> 00:35:02 Do not merely listen to the word and so
00:35:02 --> 00:35:03 deceive yourselves.
00:35:04 --> 00:35:05 Do what it says.
00:35:07 --> 00:35:09 The man who looks intently into the
00:35:09 --> 00:35:11 perfect law that gives freedom and
00:35:11 --> 00:35:13 continues to do this, not forgetting what
00:35:13 --> 00:35:16 he has heard but doing it, he will be
00:35:16 --> 00:35:18 blessed in what he does.
00:35:20 --> 00:35:20 Amen.
00:35:20 --> 00:35:20 Amen.
00:35:20 --> 00:35:25 Amen.
00:35:25 --> 00:35:26 Amen.
00:35:27 --> 00:35:28 .
00:35:28 --> 00:35:28 .
00:35:28 --> 00:35:30 .
00:35:32 --> 00:35:32 .
00:35:32 --> 00:35:35 A
00:35:35 --> 00:35:35 .
00:35:35 --> 00:35:36 .